Category: Fiber Arts Joy

Welcome to another update on my current cross stitching. This week I have been stitching on Midnight Owl, Animal Almanac, & a Mystery SAL.

Last week I was a little off kilter and hadn’t really touched my stitching. On Sunday I had the idea to try a new start; figuring that would be the best cure for my stitching blues. It was perfect timing since I had just received part one of the Mystery SAL from Lindy Stitches on Friday. It took very little time to get it all kitted up and I had part one stitched by the end of Monday morning. I am very excited to watch this come together.

This week I also decided to change my routine up a little bit. Typically in the evenings, I would work on a project from my smalls bin, as a way to wind down and get ready for bed. Unfortunately, that is also the prime time for reading and I realized that I wasn’t reading as much as I was stitching. In the mornings, especially if I’m up early, I like to spend time studying the Word. Most of the time I watch a verse by verse teaching sermon. So what I started doing this week is dedicating those early mornings to devotional time and stitching a small. Spent my early morning time this week in the Book of Matthew and stitching Midnight Owl.

Once I got going with stitching this week I naturally went back to my Animal Almanac SAL, and managed to get blocks three and four, March & April, stitched. The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery patterns are currently my absolute favorite patterns to stitch, so I’m not sure why I’m having a hard time staying up-to-date with this SAL. Regardless, I am still going to put it away for a little bit so I can work on my Christmas in July plans, which also include a Frosted Pumpkin pattern.

I hope this finds you well and enjoying life.
Thanks for checking in & happy stitching!

Welcome to another update on my current cross stitching. Unfortunately, at the start of June, maybe a bit before, my stitching bug disappeared and could not be found anywhere. Thankfully, it has returned with renewed energy and I have quite a few items to share. This week I have been continuing my progress on Animal Almanac, but I also have a small FFO and a new start.

Love Stitching

Memorial Day weekend, hubby and I originally planned a weekend getaway. Like so many others, that was cancelled due to COVID-19. So we decided to make it a staycation instead. We planned out activities, meals, and splurges that are outside the norm. Also included in our plans, was for each of us to have some hobby time. For him, model trains; for me, stitching. I decided to start a small Mill Hill kit from my stash and chose: Love Stitching. It was great fun to work on this piece during our staycation and I managed to get is fully finished this past Sunday. I did finish it as an ornament, but it may end up being the first page of a stitching “junk” journal I’m contemplating starting.

Animal Almanac

Although I am not quite on track with this stitch along, I did make good progress this week on blocks 3 & 4. Working them color by color, two at a time does seem to make the progress go faster, so I might work on this every other month (once I’m caught up) so I can pull out other WIPs on the alternate months.

Midnight Owl

Today I put the first couple of stitches in a new Mill Hill kit, Midnight Owl. My hubby bought this kit for me late last year as a gift with an Amazon gift card he got from work. Once it arrived, naturally I was super excited to receive it and I said “Now when am I going to stitch you?” This was a rhetorical question, but hubby responded anyway and challenged me to have it finished by October of this year. (I believe if I win the challenge I get another kit from my wish list.) So, this gorgeous owl is prepped and ready to go as my bedtime stitching piece. He will be complete by October!

Thanks for checking in, stay safe, be well, & happy stitching!

Welcome to another update on my adventures in cross stitching. This week I have been attempting to get caught up on the Animal Almanac SAL from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Even though I got a late start this year, once I finished the first block I really thought it would go quickly, what with quarantine and everything.

Alas, my stitching bug seemed to play hide and seek most of April. However, with the beautiful North Carolina May weather, I am living on my porch, a place my stitching bug loves! Since my last update, I now have an adorable fox in a tub! Renny is the adorable animal for the February block, and I must admit I am jealous of that luxurious bubble bath. 🛁

Now I am on to blocks 3 & 4, March & April, and I have decided to work them simultaneously by color. My thinking is that this strategy will move my stitching along quicker. Then, if needed, I can work May & June together and will be all caught up!

I hope this finds you well, safe, healthy, and enjoying life.

Thanks for checking in & happy stitching!🧵

So is it just me or did everyone wake up on May 1st and say: What happened to April? 🤔 It feels like I’ve been staying safe at home forever and yet it also feels like yesterday was March. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but actually when there aren’t enough unique and alternating activities that define your time, that’s when life flies right past you, leaving little memory to mark the time.

Well I marked my time in April, or attempted to, by having a finished piece to brag about. Sure enough, I’m bragging about Moonstruck! She’s finally finished, bling and all, and I just love how it turned out. The frame is on order, but I couldn’t wait to show her off.

This is the first larger Mill Hill kit that I’ve completed, and it’s sure not to be the last. I’ve been stitching the smaller ~3 inch kits for a while now, they are my go to travel/bedside projects. However, I wanted to branch out and I just fell in love with the cat sitting on the tree limb. There are already a half dozen of the larger kits in my stash now so I’m sure it won’t be long before I share another one.

I hope this finds you well, safe, healthy, and enjoying life.
Thanks for checking in & happy stitching!

Welcome to another update on my cross stitching. What a month March has been so far! It feels like I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath since the month started. Thanks to surgical recovery time, follow up doctor appointments and Coronavirus social-distancing, I’ve been juggling three different cross stitching projects this month.

March 4th, I had a same day surgical procedure done. Some may say minor surgery, but I believe the degree between minor and major can be subjective. Whether it was minor or not, there is still anxiety, pain, discomfort, and recovery involved. Leaving out the private details, I am thankful to God for seeing me through it and giving me a peaceful state of mind that morning.

Thankfully, my parents were able to come down for the day of the procedure, plus a few more. Having them here, especially my mom, was a major support. No matter how old you are, when hurt or sick there’s nothing like having your mom take care of you.

And yes, I am that stitcher who was stitching a project while waiting to get taken back for surgery. While the surgery went well, there has been quite a bit of fatigue and discomfort for the past two weeks, so my stitching has been interspersed with lots of napping. For the most part, I’ve been working on Purple Chick from the Mill Hill 2017 Jim Shore collection.

The small Mill Hill kits are my go to projects for car rides, travel, and for when I need a small project/finish. This Purple Chick is going to be a cutie and it’s been great to just pick it up do a couple stitches, put it down, take a nap, eat, sleep, repeat.

Then this past Monday, I got to work on Animal Almanac; this year’s SAL from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Aurora The Penguin is close to done. Stitching is still a little slow, but I think these blocks will stitch up fairly quickly once I get back into the swing of things. Hopefully I can get caught up before April 1.

I’m addition, I’ve return to my bedtime stitching routine and have been working on the beading for Moonstruck. Another gorgeous Mill Hill kit, but of the larger variety, 6”x6”. While I also use the larger Mill Hills as travel projects, this one has been my bedside piece for a while now and I can’t wait to see the final result.

Well that’s all for this update. Thanks for checking in, stay healthy and Happy Stitching!